Twelve Months
by terrycloth-socks
Summary: Post-Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione have kept their distance for ten years, but now they've come together to search for a missing child. Will they be able to leave the past behind them?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the spells or locations mentioned in this story. They are the property of JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner.  
  
A/N - My first fic on this site... Please review! =]

**_FEBRUARY 8th_**  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Hermione, where are you?"  
  
Harry could hear footsteps approaching.  
  
"Hermione, hurry!"  
  
A very disoriented Hermione stepped into her living room and gasped. Harry's head was sitting in the fireplace, biting its lip anxiously.  
  
Hermione knew immediately why he was there. "I'll be right over," Hermione said, grabbing her wand from its place on the mantel. "Give me two seconds." As Harry's head disappeared with a pop, Hermione pointed her wand at a small black bag. _"Accio!" _she said, and the bag came hurtling towards her. She caught the bag in her outstretched arms and unfastened its metal clasp.  
  
_"Accio! Accio! Accio!"  
_  
Everything went into the black bag.  
  
_"Accio!"_  
  
Hermione paused, bent over the bag, and rifled through it. She had forgotten something.  
  
_"Accio!"_  
  
Hermione hated her job almost as much as she loved it. It was an incredibly fulfilling thing to do for a living. But it made her terribly nervous, having to show up for a job on a moment's notice.  
  
Hermione spent a desperate moment searching for her cloak.  
  
_It would be so much easier if I had time to clean up around here,_ she thought as she snatched her cloak from the back of a chair. _Maybe this weekend, I'll get a chance to tidy up a bit...._ Hermione smiled inwardly. She had been so organized when she was younger.

Hermione tightened her grip on her wand.  
  
She vanished.

------

Meanwhile, Harry Potter paced around his own living room.  
  
"Sit down, would you please? You're making me nervous."  
  
Harry smiled halfheartedly at his wife. "She should be here any minute, Ginny."  
  
Ginny smiled. She wouldn't have expected Harry to be so skittish. Years ago, when Lord Voldemort had still been in power, Harry had fought countless battles. And through all of them, he had kept such a cool head. Ginny had always admired that. But now...well...it was all Ginny could do to keep from laughing.  
  
"How do you feel?" Harry asked anxiously. He was still pacing.  
  
"Fine," she said. Of course, she had been in terrible pain a few minutes ago. And she knew that it wouldn't be long before the agony began again; there was no spell that could numb this sort of pain. But she had confidence in the help that was on its way.  
  
Harry was still pacing. He glanced at Ginny, about to ask her if she was comfortable, but suddenly, Hermione appeared before him.  
  
Harry sighed. "Finally." And then, as if his job was done, he collapsed onto the sofa beside Ginny.  
  
Hermione and Ginny exchanged small smiles.  
  
"Hello, Harry. Ginny." Hermione said, acknowledging each with a nod as she greeted them. And then, to Ginny: "How are you feeling?" As she spoke, Hermione approached the couch where Ginny sat.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine," Ginny shrugged. "It's Harry over here who's not looking too good. He's been a nervous wreck, that one."  
  
Harry smiled good-naturedly, but Hermione noticed his face redden.  
  
"Everything will be fine," Hermione reassured him. "I've done this a couple times before, remember?"  
  
"Of course." Harry said. Of course he knew. Just last week, he had read an article in the _Daily Prophet _about another one of Hermione's miracles. She was now the most sought-after midwife in the country.  
  
And she was about to deliver their baby.


	2. February

Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me. They are the property of JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner.

A/N: Warning - this chapter contains flashbacks. Don't let them confuse you. =] Please review!

_**FEBRUARY 12th**  
  
Dear Ron -  
  
It's a girl! A beautiful baby girl! Harry and I have decided to name her Molly, for Mom, of course. Molly Alicia Potter. She's absolutely perfect... Well, naturally, she's been making it impossible for either of us to get any sleep, but that was to be expected.  
  
We'd love for you to come and visit. Whenever you get a break from work, let us know! We'd be so happy to have you.  
  
I'd write more, but I don't have the time to write a longer letter. It's difficult to find any peace around here anymore - even as I sit here writing, Molly lies crying in her cradle. Oh, I'd better go tend to her.  
  
Write back soon! We miss you so much!  
  
All my love,  
  
Ginny  
_  
Ron smiled at the letter in his hands. He couldn't quite believe it: he was an uncle! He had to get back to England to see his niece.  
  
But it wasn't that simple.  
  
When he first moved to Kenya, Ron had told himself that he could never visit his sister because work was simply that pressing. And besides, he'd tell himself, travel from Africa to England wasn't exactly easy. Yes, apparition made things easier, but it was still very complicated. Apparating cross-continentally involved all sorts of customs and traveling fees.  
  
But as the months wore on, he allowed himself to remember.  
  
Ten years ago.  
  
_Ron sat in front of the common room fire, staring into the dying flames. He wasn't sure what time it was.  
  
Perhaps it was nearing dawn.  
  
Perhaps it was barely midnight.  
  
Ron had lost all sense of time.  
  
Harry and Hermione had been worried about him, or so they said. "Where've you been all this time?" Harry had asked, as he and Hermione returned from dinner to find Ron sitting in the common room, gazing blankly into the fire. "You've been here all along?"  
  
"Yeah," Ron had said absently.  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Just thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Nothing in particular." Well, that was certainly a lie.  
  
"You alright, then?"  
  
"Yeah, just fine."  
  
But of course, he wasn't "just fine". Ron had been sitting in the same chair, staring at the same fire for...well, he wasn't sure for how long.  
  
And all because of Ginny.  
  
Stupid Ginny.  
  
Meddling into things she didn't understand.  
  
And ruining his evening.  
  
"Ron," she had said, "it's about time for you to stop acting like a five- year-old. Hermione's waiting, you know she is. And she isn't going to wait much longer."  
  
"It's so much more complicated than that," Ron had said, rolling his eyes impatiently.  
  
"Really? I'm not so sure."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Well, it seems pretty simple to me. Ron, you love her - "  
  
"Now, wait just a minute - "  
  
"Go ahead, then, tell me you don't." Ginny paused, but Ron said nothing. "Thought so."  
  
And he couldn't stop thinking about that damn conversation.  
  
_-----  
  
_Dear Hermione -  
  
How can we thank you enough? You've done so much for us these past few months. And we're so lucky that our best friend simply happens to be the most efficient midwife in the country.  
  
We'd love to have you around for dinner sometime soon. Let us know when time permits.  
  
All my love,  
  
Ginny  
  
_Hermione smiled at the letter in her hands. It had been her pleasure to deliver Molly.  
  
And she would love to join Harry and Ginny for dinner...if she could find the time. Hermione was always very busy; if she wasn't on call, she was at St. Mungo's Research Center, working on some new development or another. But maybe she could take a day off...Hermione didn't think she had taken a day off in six years. She had always found comfort in her work - it was a routine she could fall back into when all else failed.  
  
When Ron failed.  
  
But, no, Hermione wouldn't let herself think about that. She had gotten through those times once; she didn't have to relive them again.  
  
Ten years ago.  
  
_Hermione lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She knew that midnight had come and gone several hours ago.  
  
Hermione needed to sleep. N.E.W.T.s were approaching, and Hermione had to be in good health for the exams.  
  
But sleep wouldn't come, because her mind was distracted. A conversation kept playing itself over and over in Hermione's head.  
  
"Ginny," Hermione had said, "I just can't do this anymore."  
  
"He'll come around." But there was little truth in these words. Both girls knew that.  
  
"He won't come around." Hermione bit back her tears. She wouldn't cry. Not over this.  
  
Ginny paused, staring hard at Hermione. "So what are you going to do about it?"  
  
Ginny's words had confused Hermione. "What can I do?"  
  
"Well," Ginny said slowly, "why does he have to be the one to come around?"  
  
And, of course, Ginny was right.  
  
As she lay there, watching the first rays of the sun illuminate the ceiling, Hermione let a single tear trickle down her cheek. _If only it was that easy,_ she thought. _But it's so complicated....  
  
_And then, a distinct voice within her asked, _But is it? Is it so complicated?


End file.
